Ultimate XMen: DANGEROUS GAMES
by Dino Pollard
Summary: Takes place after BROTHERS IN ARMS. Wolverine is sent by SHIELD to infiltrate the Clan Yashida, but with Professor X in a coma, that leaves Nick Fury in charge of the XMen when a hacker named Arcade strikes!
1. Prologue

* * *

Issue #17 

"DANGEROUS GAMES"  
Prologue 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  
****

A zipper closed the leather bodybag with the SHIELD logo on it. The two agents lifted it up and placed it on a stretcher. They then headed towards the elevator. Logan stood and watched them, holding a cigar between his fingers. Nick Fury stood by his side. 

"So that was the mastermind behind the Brotherhood..." said Fury. 

"Guess so," replied Logan. "What's the story, Nick?" 

"Mystique's obviously out of the picture," replied Fury. "We've already apprehended the rest of the Brotherhood. Toad and Marrow are gonna be hospitalized for some time. You guys really did a number on those two." 

"With Marrow, I did what had t' be done," said Logan. "It's how I always work, you know that." 

"Yeah, I know," said Fury. "What about the two you brought back with you?" 

"Nightcrawler an' Rogue," replied Logan. "Mystique's rugrats. They switched sides at th' end of the battle. Without 'em, we probably wouldn't have been able t' take out the Brotherhood as fast as we did." 

The two men looked over towards Xavier, who still sat motionless in his wheelchair. Jean stood behind him and pushed the wheelchair out of the room. He offered no reply, and looked at no one. Jean gave Logan a look of sympathy. With Xavier the wreck he was, that meant he was in charge of the operation. 

"How's Munroe?" asked Logan. He leaned closer to Fury when he spoke and lowered his voice. 

"Coma," replied Fury with the same level of volume. "Apparently, Rogue's got the ability to absorb the powers of others. The downside is that when she absorbs a person, they fall into a coma." 

"Is it permanent?" 

"We're not sure." 

"Shit..." muttered Logan. 

"Should I take 'em with me?" 

Logan sucked on the cigar, then released the smoke from the side of his mouth. He looked towards them, then looked back at Fury. 

"No..." he replied. "Not yet, anyway. We're gonna keep them around." 

"You sure that's wise?" asked Fury. 

"I'm not sure of anything at this point," replied Logan. "But until we find out what their deal is, it's best t' keep them in a place where I can have my eye on 'em." 

"Gyrich's gonna twist it around to make it seem like you're endorsing the Brotherhood." 

"Yeah, well Gyrich's full of shit. I know it. You know it. Cooper knows it. Hell, even the President knows it." 

"Don't be too sure of yourself," said Fury. "The President may have approved of this project, and he may have supported it, but that was before 9/11. He's not big on terrorists at all, and if you've got two of them working for you, he'll probably start to lean towards Gyrich's side. And you know what happens if Gyrich gets his way." 

"New York will become Sentinel City," said Logan. "I know, you don't have to remind me." 

"You still wanna keep those two around?" 

"For now."  
  


* * *

**Arcde69:** hey**  
Shdwct4587: ** hey  
**Arcde69:** whats up?**  
Shdwct4587: ** nm, u?   
**Arcde69:** just playin around with some computer stuff.**  
Shdwct4587: ** cool, find anything interesting?  
**Arcde69:** working on hacking stuff**  
Shdwct4587: ** u better watch it with that stuff  
**Arcde69:** pssh, i'll be fine  
**Shdwct4587: ** ok, just be careful  
**Arcde69:** hey, this is me we're talkin about here i'm no amateur**  
Shdwct4587: ** i never said you were  
**Arcde69:** so why don't u trust my skills?**  
Shdwct4587: ** i'm just saying be careful, i know a guy who got arrested by messing around with hacking  
**Arcde69:** well he's nowhere near as good as i am**  
Shdwct4587: ** how do you know that?  
**Arcde69:** because he got caught**  
Shdwct4587: ** and how do you know you won't get caught?  
**Arcde69:** i told you, i got skills**  
Shdwct4587: ** riiiiiiiiiight  
**Arcde69:** look if ur gonna be a bitch about this**  
Shdwct4587: ** calm down  
**Arcde69:** why should i be calm? ur the one who keeps insulting me **  
Shdwct4587: ** what? i am not! i'm just telling you to be careful!  
**Arcde69:** whatever i'll show u**  
Shdwct4587: ** christ take a pill  
**  
[user Arcde69 signed off]**

"Talk about weird..."

The nineteen year old girl stretched out and pushed away from her computer. She heard the sound of the door opening and stood up to see who it was.

"You're _still_ on that thing?" asked her roommate. "I really don't understand why you're so obsessed with that thing."

"Probably the same reason you're obsessed with aviation?" asked the girl. "I just like talking to people online, Maddy."

"I'm guessing you missed the memo, but this is college," replied Maddy. "There are people all over the place, why not go out and talk to them? Y'know, socialize, go to parties, have fun. This is supposed to be the best time of your life, but Kitty Pryde would rather waste it in her dorm."

"Sorry, but drunken orgies isn't exactly my idea of a good time," said Kitty.

"I've _never _been in an orgy!" exclaimed Maddy with shock.

"Yeah, like I _haven't _heard the rumors."

Kitty turned back to the computer and went to check her e-mail. Maddy sat down on her bed and took off her shoes. She turned on the stereo and laid down with a magazine. After a few moments, she looked up again at Kitty.

"What rumors?"

* * *

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"Of course he is."

"How do you know, John?"

"C'mon Ali, this is the Prof we're talking about," replied John. "You know he'll pull through. Hell, look at what he did to Magneto. This is cake compared to that."

"But he didn't kill Magneto..." said Ali.

"He did what he had to do in the situation," said John. "We gotta trust him on that."

"What's gonna happen now?" asked Ali. "Are they gonna replace him or something?"

"Why would they do that?" asked John.

"I dunno... I just have that feeling..."

"Hey look," said John. "The Prof's a government agent. If they fired government agents every time they killed a terrorist... well, let's just say there wouldn't be many government agents. Hell, they'll probably give him a medal for this."

"I dunno... I just don't like the idea of killing..."

"Have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Have you ever killed someone?"

"Well... no..." said Ali. "I mean, I didn't do anything when Sabretooth killed an M-Squad agent who was after me,* but that's not the same thing, is it?"

( *Issue #4 - Dino )

"No, it's not."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"I remember what happened the night we found you*... how did it feel?"

( *In issue #3 - Dino )

Thunderbird lowered his head. Silence filled the air. Ali just watched him for a few moments with concern and sympathy. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"John...?"

"............."

"John?"

_"You still wanna wrangle?" _

_"Dude, you are fucking nuts!!" _

_"Damn straight!!"_

"John, are you okay?"

_"Hey Smith."_

_"What is it, Michaels?" _

_"This kid's dead." _

_"He's dead?! I--I didn't mean to kill him... it was an accident... he just provoked me and..."_

"...it was an accident..."

"How did it happen? We never really talked about it or anything."

"I didn't mean to..." said John. "I didn't know my own strength... Hell, back then, I never worried about consequences of my powers. All I cared about was winnin' trophies. I... I got careless... and I killed some kid who was just like me because of it... All because I had to be a big shot. I could've easily taken him down without killing him, but no... just had to showboat..."

The door near them opened up, and Jean stepped into the hallway. John took this moment to stop talking about his past and addressed Jean.

"Is he okay?" he asked.

"He will be..." replied Jean. "It just... shook him up..."

"What's the deal with him and that Mystique woman anyway?" asked Ali.

"I really don't know..." replied Jean. "He wouldn't talk to me. I tried to get something out of him, but he wouldn't open up."

"Just great..." muttered John. "How's O?"

"Still in a coma," replied Jean.

"And the person who put her there is walking around the mansion?" asked Ali.

"Rogue had no intention of harming her, she was just doing what she thought she was supposed to do," replied Jean. "She didn't know any better."

"That doesn't make it right," said John. "The bitch should be in prison with the rest of the Brotherhood."

"Right now, Rogue's just... confused," said Jean. "She needs some time to herself. And Logan feels that the best way to do that is to keep her under our watch. Plus, she has Storm's powers at her command right now."

"What about the little demon guy?" asked Ali.

"Kurt's going to be staying with us for awhile I think," replied Jean. "He never believed in the Brotherhood's philosophy. He always felt like his mother forced it on him. He always felt like an outsider among them."

"Like he's not gonna feel like an outsider here..." muttered John.

* * *

"This th' right choice, Kurt?" asked Rogue.

"I think so," replied Nightcrawler. "You don't like it here, Marie?"

"No..." said Rogue. "Not really."

"At least here you have nice quarters as opposed to the burned out tenement," noted Kurt.

"Yeah, I know..." said Rogue. "But still... it just doesn't feel right... y'know? I mean, Mom used t' tell us horror stories about how the government would use and abuse mutants when we were little, remember?"

"True..." said Kurt. "But they were just stories. Propaganda to turn us towards her cause."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"The woman used us."

"She did not! We volunteered!"

"Did we?" asked Kurt. "Or maybe she was just so good at manipulating people that we just _thought _we volunteered."

"I... that's not true!"

"Think about it, Marie," said Kurt. "Think about everything we've been through together. It makes perfect sense."

I... I dunno..."

She looked down at the ground. Kurt rested a single, bare-skinned hand on her chin and lifted it up to look in her eyes.

"This is right, you know it is," he said. "This is where we belong."

"Maybe... maybe your right..." said Rogue. "Maybe I'm just bein' paranoid or something..."

"I don't think there's any maybes about it," said Kurt. "I'm going to go explore a bit more, will you be okay out here on your own?"

"Yeah..." she replied. Kurt smiled and vanished in a flash of light. Rogue admired the flowers in Xavier's garden, and almost considered summoning a small rain shower to water them.

She didn't notice the figure hiding in the shadows, who sneaked past the garden and around her. She felt a sudden shift in the wind, and turned. No one was there.

But from the shadows, a pair of red eyes glowed before vanishing once more. 

* * *

He sees nothing.

He can hear muffled whispers in Japanese all around him, but that's as far as it goes. He hears the sound of a door opening, and suddenly, he was shoved to the floor. Again, more Japanese. His hands were bound behind his back by rope, and the blindfold which obstructed his vision was beginning to become a nuisance. He heard what he presumed to be an order in Japanese, and then the blindfold was gone.

He looked up to see a tall, Japanese man standing before him. The man was dressed in a fine suit. His hands rested in front of him, folded together.

"Good evening, Mr. Jones," he stated.

"Mr. Yashida I presume," said Jones.

"I see that my reputation preceeds me," said Yashida. "But please, no need to be so formal. You may call me Shingen. Remove the binds. There's no need for them here."

The enforcer Jones had met with untied the rope and offered him a seat in the chair before Shingen. Shingen gave the enforcer a questioning look, and the enforcer shook his head. Shingen smiled. Jones assumed Shingen must have been wondering if he was carrying any weapons. Suddenly, he wished he hadn't allowed the enforcer to take his gun away. He had a very bad feeling about this situation.

"Now then, Mr. Jones, shall we get down to business?"

"I'm looking to expand my markets," replied Jones. "Think you might be able to help me with that?"

"It all depends on what you're marketing."

"Whatever you want, I can get."

"That's very reassuring, Mr. Jones."

"What do you want, Shingen?" asked Jones. "Whores? Coke? Smack? Guns?"

"You know what I have recently discovered, Mr. Jones?" asked Shingen.

"What's that?"

"A certain government organization has been keeping tabs on the Clan Yashida."

"What's that gotta do with anything?"

"Have you ever heard of an organization known as SHIELD, Mr. Jones?"

"...not that I know of."

"They have been after me for quite some time now," said Shingen. "Frankly, it is starting to become a nuisance."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Are you sure you've never heard of them?"

"Positive," replied Jones.

"I see..." said Shingen. He looked up at his enforcer. "Habuku."

"What?"

"Huh?" asked Jones. "What did you--URK!"

He offered no other words as the life flowed from his body. The enforcer pulled the dagger from Jones's back and wiped it off on a handkerchief. Shingen pushed Jones away with his foot and looked down into the black man's face.

"I don't like set-ups, Mr. Jones."

* * *

"There's something I've never liked about hospitals..." said Monet.

"Really?" asked Hank. "Why?"

"Because..." replied Monet. "I spent pretty much my entire childhood going in and out of them."

"You're joking," said Hank. "...aren't you?"

"No," said Monet.

"What happened?" asked Hank.

"I was born three months premature," replied Monet. "I had many... ailments when I was younger. Once my x-gene manifested, I began to lose those ailments."

"Oh..."

"Still... those weren't happy days."

"Well, don't worry," said Hank as he draped his arm over Monet's shoulders. "This isn't really the same thing as a hospital. And we won't be here long, I just thought it'd be a good idea to check in on O. You don't have to..."

"No, I want to."

Hank nodded and opened the door to the infirmary. If his jaw weren't attached to his head, it would have struck the ground once he saw the room. Monet's reaction was very much the same, and a hand was brought up to her mouth in shock.

"What happened?" asked Monet. "Where is she?"

Hank leapt over the bed and searched around. Nothing, not one sign of her. But she was in a coma, where could she have gone? Was she kidnapped? But how? How could someone get into the mansion and then get out without anyone noticing?

Then he noticed the open window.

"She's... gone..."


	2. Part I: Passing Go

* * *

Issue #18 

"DANGEROUS GAMES"  
Part I: Passing Go 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  
****

"Okay..." began Fury. "Someone wanna tell me what the hell happened here?"

"Monet and I came down to check on Storm," said Hank. "When we got here though... she was gone."

"How'd this happen, Nick?" asked Logan.

"It shouldn't have happened," replied Fury. "No one could've gotten in and out without being detected."

"Don't think I like what yer insinuating..."

"Looks pretty obvious, Logan," said Fury. "Your little weather witch hopped on her broom and flew away."

"I don't think so," said Logan. "Somethin's not right here..."

"Look at the facts, this--"

Nick stopped in midsentence and reached for his ringing cell phone. He activated it and placed it to his ear.

"Fury," he announced. "What's up, Dugan?"

Fury's face was overcome with a look of shock at the news Dugan had just given him. 

"No..." he said. "That... that can't be right... Okay... alright... have the details printed up and on my desk. I'm leaving right now."

He turned off the phone and looked up at Logan, Hank, and Monet.

"What was that all about?" asked Logan.

"Y'know Gabe Jones?" asked Fury.

"Sure," replied Logan. "He's one of SHIELD's top agents."

"No," said Fury. Logan raised a questioning eyebrow. "He _was _one of SHIELD's top agents."

"What do you mean was?" asked Hank.

"He's dead," replied Fury.

No reply came in response to Fury's revelation. Although Hank and Monet had no knowledge of Gabe Jones, they knew when silence was necessary. This is one of those times.

"How'd this happen?" asked Logan. "Gabe was always real good at covering his own back."

"Ever hear of the Clan Yashida?" asked Fury. Logan thought for a few moments, searching his mind for any information related to that name. After a few seconds, he finally answered.

"Name sounds familiar..."

"They're an Asian crime syndicate," said Fury. "Think the Sopranos but Japanese and with swords."

"What'd Gabe have to do with them?" asked Logan.

"Come with me back to headquarters," replied Fury. "I'll tell you all the details there. Plus, there's some stuff we need to go over."

"Just gimme a minute, Nick," said Logan. "I'll meet you outside."

Fury nodded and exited the room. Logan turned to face Hank and Monet, who still stood in silence. They were taking in everything that had been said in the conversation, trying to piece things together. Neither of them was very experienced in this area. Between the two of them, they were probably smarter than the rest of the team combined. However, the workings of an international espionage agency were lost on them.

"I gotta go take care of some things," said Logan. "Chuck's still out of it, though, an' I'm not sure how long he's gonna be that way. Tell the others about Storm, an' tell them that Fury thinks she left, but we're not positive on that. If something comes up, you wait for an order from either me or Fury before you do anything, understood?"

"Yeah," said Monet.

"One more thing, keep an eye on the new guys."

* * *

He rapped his fist lightly on the door several times. It had been awhile since he had done this, he hadn't talked to Maggie in weeks. After the incident with his family and then the attack by the Brotherhood,* he just wasn't able to find the time to pick up a phone and give her a call. Although now he knows he probably should have.

( *For both the "SINISTER RECKONING" and "BROTHERS IN ARMS" story-arcs, check out issues #10-16 - Dino )

The door opened, and a girl with long, brown hair stood in the frame. She smiled once she saw who the visitor was.

"Scott!" she exclaimed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Where've you been, stranger?"

"Just... a lot of stuff going on lately, Jen," replied Scott. "Is Maggie around?"

"I think she's at the union," said Jen.

"Okay, I'll go check there."

He turned to leave and Jen grabbed his arm. 

"Word of advice, Slim," she said. "You haven't been seen or heard from in weeks. Right now you're not exactly on her good side if you know what I mean."

"Yeah... I know..."

"But just remember, if she hits you, you can come to me for legal assistance."

"You've only just decided to major in law!"

"Hey, I'm telling ya buddy, you'll be seeing the name Jennifer Walters in the papers one day."

"I'll remember to check that out," said Scott. "Any... um... other advice you can give me?"

"Roses," replied Jen. "And lots of them."

* * *

[[ Phase One Complete]]

"You hear that, sir?"

"How's it coming?" asked Henry Peter Gyrich.

"So far so good."

"What are the subject's memories like?"

"Not an issue."

"Good, that's just what I wanted to hear."

"I could put in a failsafe if you'd like. Just for extra security."

"Do it. I don't want to take any chances with this."

"Good to hear, sir."

"Gyrich!"

Gyrich turned to the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was Shiner, the former commander of the now-defunct M-Squad.

"What the hell is going on here?" asked Shiner. "What's this I hear about you pulling funding from the M-Squad?"

"Sounds like you heard right, Shiner," replied Gyrich. "You and your boys are through."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" asked Shiner.

"I'm the head of the NSA," replied Gyrich. "And I don't think that, I know it. The fact of the matter is that you were designed to take out the X-Men and other rogue mutants. You failed. Now, I'm turning that task over to Dr. Lang here."

"So that's it?" asked Shiner. "After all these months of service, and we're sent away with nothing more than a 'thanks for all the help, now get out'?"

"That's not true at all," replied Gyrich.

"What do you mean?"

"I never said thanks, just get out."

* * *

"So, you've returned to us."

"Not by choice."

"A return is a return, Remy. You know that just as well as we do."

"I'm just here for her," replied Gambit. "Y'know I wouldn't come here unless it was necessary."

"I understand. Believe me, I do. But y'gotta admit, wit' all de contacts you've made over th' years, a body would think you'd have someplace better to take your protegé."

"She more than a protegé, mon ami."

"Less have a look-see, den."

The dark-skinned man ran his hands across the face of Ororo Munroe. He pushed her long, white hair away from her face and opened each of her eyelids to look at the pupils beneath. Her coma-like state frightened Gambit beyond description. He wished he was there to help her when she needed him most.

"Can y' help her?"

"De Guild can do anyt'in."

"Can _you _help her?" asked Gambit once more. "Meanin' you personally."

"Non..." replied the man. "I may be powerful, but not dat powerful. Least not yet."

"Dammit Gris Gris!" exclaimed Gambit. "Then who?!"

"Who else?" asked Gris Gris. "De Patriarch. He de one who can help her. De _only _one."

"Y'know I don' like askin' him for favors."

"Yer gon' have to, Remy. 'Less you want silvertop t' stay in dis coma."

"Where is he?" asked Gambit.

"Where he always be," replied Gris Gris.

* * *

"How do you say, 'I'm sorry' in forty different languages?"

Maggie gave him a look that made Scott wonder if lasers were going to shoot out of her eyes and burn a hole right through the center of his forehead. She brushed a lock of blonde hair from her face and then looked away from him.

"C'mon Maggie... I know I haven't been around lately, but I can explain."

"Better be a whole lot of explaining...." muttered Maggie.

"It is," replied Scott. "Trust me, it is. I'm really sorry about all this."

"You should be sorry. I haven't heard from you in weeks."

"I was busy."

"Too busy to pick up the damn phone?"

"Look... I know I was wrong..." said Scott. "And I want to make it up to you."

He reached down behind the back of her chair where he had placed the dozen roses he had just bought for her. He lifted it up to the front of her face and handed it to her.

"Starting now."

She looked at the flowers and Scott saw through her facial expressions that her shell was beginning to soften. He smiled at this and thought to himself, this is salvagable. They could easily work through something like this.

"You're forgiven..." she muttered. "But! Only on _one _condition!"

"What's that?" asked Scott.

"You tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything. No more secrets, Scott."

A deep sigh escaped Scott's mouth. He knew he might end up regretting this later, but it needed to be done. He cared too much about this girl to just blow it away because of some stupid secret. Logan be damned, she had a right to know what he was doing and why he hadn't seen or spoken to her in weeks.

"Okay..." he said. "But let's go somewhere private."

Scott took her by the hand and led her out of the union. They needed a place they could be alone, somewhere they could talk without worry of other people eavesdropping. He led her down a flight of stairs, into the basement. He fumbled around in the dark until he found a light switch and flipped it on.

"Spill."

"Okay... the truth is, I haven't called you lately because... well, remember I told you I sort of have a job?"

"Yeah..." said Maggie.

"And remember how I always changed the subject whenever you asked me about it?"

Maggie slowly nodded, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Well, the truth is that my job... it keeps me pretty busy."

Maggie sighed.

"If you're gonna say you couldn't call because of work, I am gonna--"

"No, it's not just that," said Scott. "Well... y'know all about that Magneto guy who attacked Times Square, and then there were those two guys at the nightclub, and the recent attacks by the Brotherhood. Right?" 

Maggie nodded once more.

"Well... y'see the thing is... I--I--"

"You what?" asked Maggie.

"I'm a mutant."

* * *

"You're Professor Xavier, aren't you?"

The bald man seated in the wheelchair gave no response, just maintained his vacant stare. Kurt Darkholme sighed deeply, trying to think of how he could get the man to speak. He ran his hand across his short hair and considered his options. 

"My name is Kurt Darkholme," he said. "Mystique is... was... my mother. I just thought I should let you know that I am very grateful that you have allowed my sister and I to remain in your home among your students. Even though you haven't really approved of it yet, from what Jean has told me, you will be very accepting to us. All I ask is for a chance to prove myself."

Xavier slowly raised his head upwards. Nightcrawler perked up at this movement. Would the Professor actually speak to him? Had he done it? Had he brought Xavier back?

Xavier's head stayed up slightly, and then he dropped it once more. Kurt frowned. What more could he do? If Xavier had no desire to speak, or no ability to speak, then how did Nightcrawler expect to communicate with him? How could he thank the man for what he did? Then, he thought of an idea. It may not work, but if Charles could indeed hear everything around him, it would be worth a shot.

"I should let you know that what my mother did was wrong. I've known it for awhile, but she's my mother. How could I possibly abandon her? Like I said, Jean has told me about you. And from what I've heard, you are a very tolerant and patient man, not to mention rational. You don't condone the use of lethal force, and I know that you wouldn't have killed my mother unless it was absolutely necessary."

"Kind of comforting, isn't it?"

Nightcrawler spun around and instantly shifted into a battle stance. He was prepared for any intruder who would dare attempt to sneak up on him.

"Relax Kurt, it's only me," said Jean.

"Sorry," said Kurt. "Force of habit."

"It's kind of nice, isn't it?" asked Jean. "Being able to talk to someone without fear of what they might say or what they might think as a result. How they might judge you."

"You know him well, then?"

"Probably better than I know myself sometimes," said Jean.

"I wish he would talk," said Kurt. "I want to know what happened here."

"You'll get your chance, Kurt," said Jean. "Trust me."

* * *

The eye's of the Japanese crime lord sent a chill down Logan's spine. They perfectly displayed the man's sinister motives and his violent tendencies. He was a killer. One whom would stop at nothing to get whatever it was he desired.

"Shingen Yashida," explained Fury. "Head of the Clan Yashida, one of the most influential and powerful crime syndicates in the far East. Seems Yashida has grown tired of the Orient and he's setting up shop in America, now."

Fury tossed another photograph on top of the one of Yashida. This one was of a young black man, fairly well-built. 

"Gabe Jones," continued Fury. "One of our top agents. He was recently assigned to spy on Yashida and, if necessary, take him out. Somehow, Yashida found out that he was working for SHIELD and had him killed."

"Why?" asked Logan.

"If you were the head of an international crime syndicate, what would you do to a spy?" asked Fury.

"No, I mean why is SHIELD messin' around with th' Clan Yashida?" asked Logan. "Shouldn't that be the FBI's jurisdiction?"

"Two reasons," replied Fury. "One, SHIELD is an international organization, and Yashida is an international crime lord. And two, we have reason to believe that he may be connected with terrorist activities."

"So whaddaya need me for?"

"You spent some time in the Orient, right?" asked Fury. Logan nodded. "Still remember everythin' you learned there?"

"I worked as a hitman for the Yakuza," replied Logan. "You don't forget stuff like that no matter how hard you wanna try."

"Then I've got a new mission for you," said Fury. "Infiltrate the Clan Yashida and take out Shingen once and for all."

"What about the X-Men?"

"The X-Men can wait until another mutant terrorist pops up," replied Fury. "If the situation comes up, I'll assume field command."

Logan looked down at the photo of Shingen. He rubbed his chin for a few moments in thought. After a few seconds, he stood up and looked at Fury.

"When do I start?"

* * *

**Arcde69:** well look who it is  
**Arcde69:** the nonbeliever**  
Shdwct4587: ** what?**  
Shdwct4587: ** what are you talking about?  
**Arcde69:** you didn't trust my abilities  
**Arcde69:** you thought i was a joke**  
Shdwct4587: ** no i didn't, ur overreacting  
**Arcde69:** don't lie to me bitch**  
Shdwct4587: ** geez, what's your problem?  
**Arcde69:** you thought it was funny to make fun of me?  
**Arcde69:** well now your gonna regret it  
**Arcde69:** cause arcade is here to stay**  
Shdwct4587: ** arcade?  
**Arcde69:** that's right, arcade  
**Arcde69:** turn on the news

Kitty turned away from her computer and grabbed the remote for the television. She flipped to CNN out of sheer curiosity.

{{ Stock prices are dropping fast, and companies have found that their accounts are being drained extremely quickly. All over the world, money is flowing out of companies like water in what has been dubbed the largest computer crime wave of all time. The culprit has identified himself as Arcade, a known computer felon whom the FBI have been tracking for some time. }}

**Arcde69:** see what happens when you fuck with me?**  
Shdwct4587: ** this isn't funny  
**Arcde69:** oh, on the contrary  
**Arcde69:** im having a ball**  
Shdwct4587: ** ur lying, ur not that arcade guy  
**Arcde69:** wanna bet?**  
Shdwct4587: ** prove it  
**Arcde69:** Katherine Pryde**  
Arcde69:** Enrolled at Empire State University  
**Arcde69:** in the Thomson-Peterson dorm  
**Arcde69:** Room 319**  
****Arcde69:** see ya soon, kitty-cat**   
  
[user Arcde69 signed off] **

***KNOCK***

***KNOCK***

"Oh god..."


	3. Part II: Chutes and Ladders

* * *

Issue #19 

"DANGEROUS GAMES"  
Part II: Chutes and Ladders 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  
****

"Who's there?"

No answer.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

Kitty Pryde is a freshman at Empire State University. She graduated from Niles West High School in her hometown of Niles, Illinois. She's currently majoring in computer programming and web development. Her dream is to create a revolutionary computer program or device of some sort and become the next Bill Gates.

But not one of those things will matter if Kitty doesn't survive this day.

Kitty knows something. She knows who the hacker calling himself Arcade is. Not too long ago, Arcade launched the largest computer crime wave in history. What's even worse is that he told Kitty he was going to do it. Not in those exact words, but he warned her not to doubt him. She did. He found out her address. A few minutes after he told Kitty this, he signed off the Internet and she heard a knock at her door. It seems he was just a little ticked off at her lack of confidence in his abilities. 

She slowly walked to the door and looked through the peephole. She couldn't see anyone there. She opened the lock and slowly turned the knob. She stuck her head out and looked around. Nothing. The hall was empty. 

"Christ Kitty, you're getting paranoid..." she muttered. "I think I just need some sleep..."

"Oh, that can be arranged."

She stuck her head back in the dorm room and saw a man with sandy blonde hair, a bad goatee, and blue-tinted glasses sitting on her bed. He held a gun in his hand. She froze at the sight of him.

"Hello Kitty-cat."

* * *

The Yashida compound is almost like a military base. Armed guards patrol every possible entrance and exit. It's lined with motion sensors and surveillance cameras. If a fly enters the house, the surveillance team knows about it. They work around the clock, 24/7. The only chance for infiltration is during the shift change. Unfortunately, not all the guards end their shifts at the same time. There's at least an hour seperation between each shift change. Shingen is the paranoid type. He doesn't believe in taking any chances.

That's why he's the best.

And that's why Wolverine was chosen to infiltrate his compound. His task isn't a simple one. He has to get into Shingen's organization and, when the time is right, eliminate him from the game. But Shingen is not a man easily swayed, not even by a former hitman for the Yakuza. You need to prove yourself to him to be worthy of employment. Which is exactly what Logan intends to do.

The best time to sneak in is when the surveillance team changes shifts. When that happens, Logan knows he can take out the two guards at the rear entrance. The cameras will see him, but if he acts during the surveillance team switch, then he should be able to take out the guards without anyone seeing him on camera. By the time the surveillance team realizes there's an intruder, Logan will have half the complex mapped out in his mind, including all possible escape routes. Of course, this is all based on assumption, but what's life without a few surprises?

He looked down at his watch.

7:23 PM.

The next change would come at 7:26. That meant he had three minutes to get into position. He glanced around with his eyes, but at the same time, he was also listening for any movement, feeling the air for any shift in the wind, and sniffing for any extra scents. He was getting the lay of the land. Everything was being mapped out in his head perfectly. One of the benefits of having heightened senses is that it makes you the best candidate for a secret agent.

Once he was positive it was clear, he moved. He darted past trees and through brushes. Branches and thorns cut at his skin, but he ignored them. The scratches would heal instantly. They weren't enough to slow him down.

He crouched down low behind the wall, and looked down at his watch.

7:25 PM.

One minute.

He started to scale the wall he was standing by. It was right under the camera's blindspot, so he could get into position without being seen. He looked down at the two guards. One of them was smoking a cigarette, and the other looked like he was about to fall asleep. They were speaking in Japanese, and Logan could make out every word. Nothing big, just small talk. Sports, movies, anything to keep them awake until the next shift.

Logan released his grip on the ledge and fell to the ground right in front of the guards. Before they had a chance to react, he knocked them both out with simple elbow strikes. He should probably kill them, but that would jeopardize the mission. He opened the doors, and dragged them inside, away from the camera's field of vision. Then, he darted into the house. He looked down at his watch.

7:28 PM.

The game was afoot.

* * *

"You're a what?"

"I'm a mutant," replied Scott.

'That's not funny, Scott," said Maggie. "That is so not funny."

"I'm not joking," said Scott.

"How can you not be joking?" asked Maggie. "You... I mean..."

"Come here," said Scott. He took her gently by the hand and pulled her aside to the exit of the student union. He glanced around to make sure they were alone, and then removed his sunglasses. He opened his eye a quarter of an inch, and a beam of concussive energy protruded from his eye, striking the pavement and leaving a crack. He closed his eye instantly and replaced his glasses.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked.

"This... this..."

"It gets better," said Scott.

"Let me guess, you're a secret agent who works for the CIA," said Maggie with a little giggle.

"Close," said Scott. "I'm a secret agent who works for SHIELD."

Maggie almost collapsed when she heard this. She put her hand up against the wall for support as if she were about to pass out. Scott instantly moved to her side and held her hand. She began squeezing it as hard as she possibly could, while at the same time breathing deeply. 

"Maggie, you okay?" he asked. She gave no reply. "C'mon, let's go sit down."

Still holding her hand, he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. She moved in without respite and rested her head on his chest as he led them over to a bench. 

"Are you okay? You're shaking."

"I... I'll be fine..." she muttered. "I just... it's a lot... Just gimme a minute to... to process it..."

"Okay..." he said.

"Okay... I'm okay..." she said.

"You sure?"

"I think so."

"Want me to go on?"

"You mean there's more?!"

Scott grinned at this and looked up at her.

"Oh yeah... a lot more."

* * *

"Didn't think I could do it, did you?" asked Arcade.

"I-I'm sorry..." replied Kitty. "I didn't mean to doubt you. Really, I didn't."

"Too late for apologies now," said Arcade. He lifted up the gun and aimed it at her. "See you in hell, Kitty-cat."

He pulled the trigger and the bullet released from the chamber. It soard through the air at incredible speeds. Yet, for Kitty Pryde, everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. She kept flashing from the bullet and Arcade in her dorm room to her childhood. To her school years. Hanging out with friends. Graduation. First day of college. Meeting her roommate, Madelyne Pryor. All these things and more were flashing in her mind's eye just as the bullet struck her.

But she felt nothing. No pain. Not even as the bullet exited her body and struck her computer monitor. She looked down at the point where the bullet entered her body, but she saw no blood, not even a wound. Her clothes had no holes in them. And then, she noticed something else. Her hand was going _through_ her body.

Arcade looked at her with shock. He took aim again and fired a few more shots. Like the first bullet, they all passed through Kitty's body without harm or consequence. He tried again, but with no luck.

"What the hell are you?" he asked.

"I... I don't know..." she replied. She backed away from him and walked through her computer. Sparks flew as the system overloaded. Shocked at this, she lost her footing and fell through the wall.

Arcade looked around in shock. This wasn't the way things were supposed to happen. Kitty was supposed to die. But somehow, she got away. And now he had to rethink his strategy. He dropped the gun and ran out.

* * *

"I see you've returned."

"Not that simple."

"Is it ever?"

"I need your help."

"Of course you do."

"It's important."

"I know, your student. I've been expecting you."

"Why doesn't dat surprise me?"

"Not much should surprise you, Remy."

"Y' already know th' situation," said Gambit. "So can you help her?"

"Of course I can. But you know that for every favor you ask of the Guild, that gives the Guild the right to ask a favor of you."

"I know the routine."

"Very comforting."

"What now?"

"Have Gris Gris bring her to me. I will handle the rest."

"Strange, I'm givin' you fair warnin'," said Remy. "If she doesn't make it, I'm comin' after you. An' I don't care if you used t' be the Sorcerer Supreme, I will kill you."

"Better than you have tried, LeBeau," Strange replied. "And failed."

* * *

"So... let me get this straight..." began John. "O was in a coma, lying in the infirmary. And now, she's gone."

"That's the gist of it," said Hank.

Thunderbird slammed his fist on the table with such force that it left a dent in the metal. His face was a mask of rage.

"Then why the fuck are we just sitting here?!" he demanded. "We need to be out there looking for her!"

"Where will we look?" asked Nightcrawler. "We have no idea where she might be."

"Did I ask for your opinion, assbag?"

"John..." muttered Ali.

"Who you callin' an assbag, musclehead?!" exclaimed Rogue.

"You shut the fuck up," warned Thunderbird as he pointed an accusatory finger at Rogue. "It's your fault O was in the coma in the first place. If it wasn't for you guys and your crazy-ass mom, we wouldn't be missing the Professor and Storm."

In a flash of light and smoke, John suddenly discovered a black tail wrapped around his throat, as well as a pair of three-toed feet perched on his shoulders. A three-fingered hand gripped the top of his head, and the demonic head which controlled this leaned in close to his face, his glowing yellow eyes a stark contrast against his jet-black skin.

"You may be my teammate, and I may be forced to come to your aid in battle," said Nightcrawler. "But if you _ever _threaten my sister again, what I did to Toad will seem like a scratch compared to what I'll do to you."

"Yeah, right."

The tail around John's neck tightened, and Kurt narrowed his eyes.

"Don't fuck with me, Proudstar."

Kurt suddenly felt an invisible force of some sort pulling him from John's body and throwing him across the room. Before John had the chance to smirk at his good fortune, he was thrown against the opposite wall by the same force.

_"Let's put a stop to the testosterone convention, shall we?"_

The telepathic voice of Psyche rang through the minds of all present. Monet watched her with curiosity. It appeared that her extra training with Wolverine had really helped her in the development in her powers. 

"Although you don't want to hear it John, Kurt's right," said Hank. "We can't search for Ororo, because we have no clue where to begin. And with Wolverine on another assignment and the Professor wonked out, we have to wait until Fury returns before we can make any moves."

"Fucking bullshit..." muttered John. Ali put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him, but he just pulled away and stormed out of the room. She looked back to the rest of the team, and then ran after him. Hank breathed a sigh of relief once he left.

"He didn't mean what he said. He's just angry about Storm is all."

"I understand," said Nightcrawler. "I apologize for the outburst, though. It wasn't..."

"Don't apologize, Kurt," interjected Rogue. "We both suspected that we weren't welcome here. This just proves it."

"That has nothing to do with it," said Jean. 

"Whatever," replied Rogue. She turned and walked out of the room as well. Nightcrawler shook his head.

"She's always been headstrong," he said. "Ever since we were children. She takes after our mother."

"Pay no attention to John," said Jean. "Hank's right, he just needs to blow off some steam right now. Once things calm down, he'll be a bit more open."

"If you'll excuse me, I have some things I'd like to take care of," said Nightcrawler. With that, he vanished in a flash of light and smoke. Only Jean, Monet, and Hank were left in the war room. Hank slumped into a chair and Monet rested her hand on his shoulder. Hank smiled and patted it with his own massive hand.

"We need the Professor to get back here soon," said Jean. "We can't do this on our own."

"Tell me about it..." muttered Hank.

"We're doing fine so far," said Monet. "It's just a stressful time. We'll pull through. We always do."

"Wish it was that simple," said Jean. "But I keep getting a weird feeling... something I can't really explain... I just have this... I dunno, this instinct that tells me something really bad's about to happen."

* * *

The surveillance room is the next target. If the people watching the cameras are out of commission, then they can't see him sneaking around, and thus, they can't inform the rest of the guards to his presence.

Logan walked up to the door and opened it. The guards on surveillance duty turned to see who had entered. They moved for their guns, but Logan was quicker. He drove his foot into one of them, the impact shattering the man's nose and knocking him unconscious. For the other, Logan simply slammed his fist into the man's face. The adamantium-laced skeleton he possessed made his punch all the more stronger. It was the equivalent of being struck with a crowbar. 

Logan moved to the surveillance equipment and reviewed the screens. He discovered that Shingen was in a dojo of some sort, performing a kata. Logan checked the location of it on the map and then began to shut off the cameras one by one. One of the monitors caught his notice. It was a young Asian woman, couldn't have been more than 23 or 24 years of age. She was possessed of extremely attractive features. Logan was puzzled and intrigued by her presence. He didn't remember anything about Shingen having a wife or daughter or neice or sister. 

Logan shook his head. He had a mission to complete, and he would complete it no matter the cost. Gabe needed to be avenged. And it was up to Logan to perform that task. He shut off all the cameras, double-checked the location on the map, and then proceeded to the area.

* * *

"When those other mutants were fighting Magneto in Times Square... well, I was one of those mutants," said Scott. "We're called the X-Men, and we work for a government organization called SHIELD. We also took out the Brotherhood. And those two mutants that were fighting in the nigthclub? One of them was our leader. Also, just after the time I last saw you, my brother called me from Alaska and told me to come home. It turned out that some mad scientist was trying to use him for... something."

"Your brother... is he a... a...?"

"Mutant? Yeah."

"Wow..." said Maggie. "Do you, like, have codenames?"

"Yeah," said Scott.

"What's yours?"

"You're gonna laugh."

"C'mon, tell me."

"Cyclops."

"Heh, that's cute."

"Cute?"

"Yeah, cute."

"It's not supposed to be cute. It's supposed to be dangerous and ultra-sexy."

"Well... maybe a little sexy," said Maggie with a grin. "But it's not dangerous."

"Think I should call myself 00eyebeam instead?"

"No, Cyclops is fine. Did you pick it out?"

"No, it was given to me."

"Do you guys like, wear costumes and stuff?"

"Yeah, we gotta wear these leather spy suits with Xs on them and we've got jackets to go over them."

"Can you show me sometime?"

"Maggie, I want you to listen to me," said Scott. "Because this next part is very important. You can't tell anybody about this. And I mean no one. Not even Jen. This is big. This is bigger than big. This is huge. I'm not even supposed to be talking to you about this."

"So why did you tell me then?"

"Because I trust you to keep this a secret," replied Scott. "And because... I think I love you."

Maggie's eyes lit up at this comment.

"Are you serious?"

Scott nodded.

"Awww..."

"Hey hey... c'mon. You're gonna make me blush."

"Sorry," said Maggie. "Wow... I can't believe this. I'm dating a secret agent. This is so... so... cool!"

"Just remember, you—"

"Can't tell anyone, I know," said Maggie. "I understand. Wow... everything is so clear now. I jus—oh my god..."

"What?" asked Scott. Maggie pointed over his shoulder towards the dorms. Scott did a double-take. He thought it was a trick of the light at first. But no, there was a girl falling from one of the floors of the dorm. She fell to the ground. Scott and Maggie ran over to her as soon as they saw her fall.

Kitty got up and dusted herself off just as Scott and Maggie came running up to her. She found that she was solid again.

"You... you're okay?" asked Scott.

"I... I think so," replied Kitty. "Hi Maggie."

"H-hi... Kitty?"

"Yeah..." said Kitty. "This the guy Jen told me you were seeing?"

"Y-yeah, sorry... this is Scott."

"Hi..." said Scott.

"Hey, Kitty Pryde."

"Umm... this may seem like a stupid question..." began Scott. "But did you just fall out of one of the dorms?"

"No," replied Kitty. Scott and Maggie released exasperated breaths at this response.

"I fell _through _my dorm room."

"...oh," said Maggie. She turned to Scott. "I guess this is your area of expertise."

"What's she talking about?" asked Kitty.

"Umm..." said Scott. "How did you fall through?"

"I dunno... I just sort of... did," said Kitty. "Look, I know this sounds crazy, but there's a guy with a gun who's out to get me."

"A guy with a gun?"

"Have you heard about that Arcade guy who's causing havoc with the stock market?" asked Kitty. Scott and Maggie both shook their heads. They were talking when the broadcast first aired in the student union.

"Well, I know who he is."

"...I think I need to make a phone call..." said Scott.

* * *

"Who are you?" asked Shingen. His back was to Wolverine when he entered the door, but he turned to face him. "Why have you broken into my home? And why should I let you live? You have thirty seconds to answer."

"My apologies, Lord Shingen," replied Logan in perfect Japanese. "My name is Logan. I once worked as a hitman for the Yakuza in Japan many years ago. I desire a position within your organization. I braved your security in order to prove to you that I am worty enough to serve you. You will also notice that I have not severely injured nor killed any of your men out of respect for you."

Shingen stopped and approached Logan. He looked the SHIELD agent over a few times before reaching for the small cell phone attached to his belt. He spoke something in it and then replaced it on his belt.

"Very impressive, Logan-san," said Shingen. "And your Japanese is very good for a Westerner."

"As I said, I was once an employee for the Yakuza."

"I know. I remember hearing your name in Japan. You were feared."

"Am I still?"

"It was many years ago, I cannot be certain."

The door opened, and a young, Japanese man stepped into the room. He had a sword hanging from his belt. Shingen motioned for him to come closer, and he did so. The man was tall for an Asian. He was also young. His eyes were extremely intimidating. 

"Logan-san, I would like you to meet the best among my entourage. You have proven yourself, but to further prove your worth, you must take him on in battle. I would like to introduce you to Kenuchio Harada. Or, as he has taken to calling himself, the Silver Samurai."


	4. Part III: Enter the Silver Samurai

* * *

Issue #20 

"DANGEROUS GAMES"  
Part III: Enter the Silver Samurai 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  
****

The Yashida compound. Current home of Shingen Yashida, the man who heads the Clan Yashida, a criminal organization that was big in Japan and now has their sights set on America. He's ruthless, deadly, and has a complete lack of any human emotion—and those are his _good _qualities. 

This is Logan. He's an agent of SHIELD and leads a SHIELD mutant strike force known as the X-Men under the codename of Wolverine. He's a mutant who possesses heightened senses, a healing factor, adamantium bones and claws, as well as a checkered past which includes time spent as an assassin for the Yakuza in Japan. He has been assigned to bring down Clan Yashida from the inside. With minimal effort, Logan was able to sneak inside the compound undetected and disarmed most of Shingen's security guards. 

His last challenge is to face this man, Kenuchio Harada. Or, as Shingen referred to him, the Silver Samurai. The Samurai had long hair which landed just below his shoulders and his height and build matched that of Logan's. He was dressed in traditional samurai garb of a gi covered with armor in various spots. The gi was black, but the armor was silver, just as his name implied. He drew the katana blade from the scabbord held at his side. He tossed the scabbord aside and brought the blade up in a battle stance.

One of Shingen's men handed Logan a katana in the scabbord. Logan drew it from the scabbord and dropped the scabbord on the ground. He tested the sword a bit by swinging it around his body, trying to discover what weaknesses, if any, the blade possessed. It seemed fine to him, and he came into a stance similar to Harada's.

Shingen sat off to the side in a chair. His men surrounded his chair and faced the battle. Their faces were stone-cold with no emotion whatsoever apparent on them. 

"Make this quick, Kenuchio," said Shingen. "We have business to attend to."

The Samurai nodded in response and pulled further into his stance, as if he were prepared to attack, yet still waiting for Logan to make the first move.

"What are you waiting for, bub?" asked Logan. "Let's get this overwith."

The Silver Samurai sprung forward and brought his sword down. Logan crouched down and brought up his blade to defend. Logan pulled away, and thrusted towards Kenuchio's chest, but the Samurai's blade was there to deflect the blow. The Samurai swung low in an attempt to slash Logan's leg, but Logan used his sword to block. The Samurai brought his sword away quickly and swung it around, cutting into Logan's side.

The X-Man didn't even seem to notice the the wound as he came down near Kenuchio's head. Kenuchio dodged the attack, and delivered a kick to Wolverine's chest before following it up with a slash on the arm.

Shingen watched as Logan continued to fight on, despite his wounds. In fact, Shingen was surprised to see that the wound on Logan's arm was already beginning to knit itself together, and if not for Logan's bloodstained shirt, Shingen wouldn't be able to tell where the wound on his side was.

Logan rushed the Samurai, thrusting in several different areas with his blade. Kenuchio was too fast, and was there to deflect each one as he moved further. Logan continued to advance as Kenuchio retreated however. Kenuchio deflected Logan's blade and twirled it around so that his came down on top and trapped Logan's beneath it. He then pulled his sword back and jammed it into Logan's abdomen. He drew the sword from the wound and turned to face Shingen. He approached his master and bowed down before him.

"Very good, Kenuchio," said Shingen. He turned to one of his men. "Have janitorial clean that up."

Shingen stood from his seat and patted Kenuchio on the back before walking towards the exit. Kenuchio and Shingen's men followed him. Once they reached the door however, they heard something unexpected.

"Where you think you're goin', bub?"

The men all turned to see Logan in a crouched position. The wound in his abdomen was almost completely healed, and he tossed the katana to the ground. He clenched his fists and three adamantium claws sprang between the knuckles of each hand.

"The party's just gettin' started, Harada," he said. 

* * *

He is Remy LeBeau, known the world over as Gambit, one of the finest thieves in the business. He's also a mutant with the ability to charge objects with kinetic energy. Aside from that, nothing else is really known about the man.

And that's the way he likes it.

Currently, he is waiting for some word—any word—on the status of his protegé. She is a young woman named Ororo Munroe, or Storm as she has been called by her superiors in SHIELD. During a battle with the Brotherhood, her powers were absorbed by the mutant called Rogue. The effect left her in a coma. And Remy took her to the one person on Earth who he was sure could help her.

Doctor Stephen Strange. The former Sorcerer Supreme and currently the Patriarch of a mystical organization known only as the Guild. In the past, they helped Remy. He owes them a debt. That debt still hasn't been fully paid, and by asking Strange to help Ororo, Remy knows that the debt just grows larger.

Right now, he paces across the room, a Marlboro-brand cigarette frantically held between his fingers. He lit this cigarette so that he could try and soothe his nerves, but, in reality, it's only succeeded in heightening them. He looked back to the closed door and took another drag on the ciagarette. Behind that door, Strange was doing God knows what to Storm. And it was extremely annoying that he had no idea what was going on.

"Sit down, Remy."

"Fuck off, Gris Gris."

"You too tense, Remy," says Gris Gris. He sits in a chair not far from Remy. He was of African descent and he wore his long, black hair in dreadlocks. He simply smiles at Remy's frantic behavior.

"Never trusted Strange..." mutters Remy. "Dunno why I'm even here."

"Because you need our help," says Gris Gris. "An' you know we de only ones who can help de chile."

Remy frowns at the comment. Gris Gris is right, Strange is the only one he knows of who can help Storm. And Remy knows this just as well as Gris Gris does, he just chooses not to admit it. The fact is that he's more concerned of what effect this will have on Storm in the long run.

* * *

"That Arcade guy," said Scott. "Yeah, the hacker. I just met someone who knows who he is. He's after her right now. She's safe for now, she's with me. But I need to get her someplace safe, I think she'd be better off back at the campus."

He listened to the person on the other end of his cell phone for a few moments. Maggie Evans and Kitty Pryde sat on a nearby bench in the middle of Empire State University's campus. Scott stood in front of them the cell phone pressed to his ear. Maggie Evans is Scott's girlfriend. As for Kitty, she's a student at ESU, like Maggie, who just had an encounter with a hacker by the name of Arcade. He tried to kill her for some reason. 

"Okay, okay, we'll stay..." said Scott. "Yeah, bye."

He turned off the cell phone and slipped it back into the pocket of his jeans. He walked over to the bench and sat down on it. Maggie put her hand on his shoulder, and Kitty simply looked at him with worried eyes.

"They're on their way," said Scott. "They'll be here soon."

"Who's on their way?" asked Kitty. "What is all this?"

"It's a long story," replied Maggie.

Before them, a bright flash of light appeared out of nowhere surrounded by a golden cloud of smoke. It all became instantly absorbed into the form of a young man with jet-black skin, pointed ears, a tail, and glowing, yellow eyes.

"Scott," he said. "Come on, we have to hurry before we're seen."

"Nightcrawler?" asked Scott. "Where's everyone else?"

"We don't have time, Scott," said Nightcrawler. "There are things happening right now. Come, we have to get back to the campus. Fury isn't happy."

Kurt looked at Kitty, and then at Maggie. Both of them flinched at his appearence. It wasn't every day that you saw a demonic teenage boy standing before you. His eyes then drifted back to Scott.

"You didn't say there were two of them."

"Shit..." muttered Scott. He suddenly realized that Fury wouldn't be happy about the fact that he compromised his identity by telling Maggie everything about the X-Men. It was something he would have to deal with. He didn't want to leave her here, but Arcade had no clue that Kitty had found him, and even if he did, there's no way Arcade could know who he really was, or how he was connected to Maggie. He turned to Maggie and pulled her aside briefly.

"Look... can you do me a favor and stay here?"

"What?" asked Maggie. "But I wanna go."

"You can't," replied Scott. "Look, it's not a good idea if you come with us. The guy who's in charge of this whole operation... he's not too happy about the current situation with Arcade."

"You can't just tell me all this stuff and then just exclude me," said Maggie. "I want to know what this place is like, I mean, really like."

"Look, if this guy finds out that you know, we're both gonna be in deep shit," said Scott. "I could probably be thrown in jail or something. C'mon look... I'll call you once things calm down, I promise."

Maggie sighed at this, and looked down. She folded her arms across her chest. 

"C'mon, don't be like that..." said Scott. To his surprise, Maggie started giggling a bit and pecked him on the cheek suddenly.

"You're an ass, you know that?" she said. "You better keep your promise, this time."

Scott grinned and walked back over to Nightcrawler and Kitty. Kurt stood stiff at attention, with arms folded over his chest. Kitty still sat on the bench, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. She found it was almost impossible to look at Kurt without feeling intimidated.

"Are we ready yet?" asked Kurt.

"Yeah," replied Scott.

"Good," said Kurt and extended his hand to Scott. Scott took the hand in his own, and Kurt then extended his free hand towards Kitty. She slowly looked up at the three-fingered hand and seemed even more nervous now.

"I don't bite," said Kurt. "We're running out of time, so let's just drop this shit."

Kitty slowly reached out with her own hand and allowed Kurt to take it in his own. Light exploded from his body and encompased both Scott and Kitty. Maggie watched as the light was then sucked in suddenly and it vanished just as quickly as it had came, with the three mutants gone with it.

* * *

"What's this?" asked the Silver Samurai.

"I didn't become one of the most feared assassins in Japan by being a pushover," replied Logan.

The Samurai turned to Shingen. Shingen kept his eyes fixed on Wolverine, however, yet he was fully aware that the Samurai was watching him. Without moving, he said, "What are you waiting for, Kenuchio?"

The Silver Samurai drew his sword and stepped towards Wolverine. Before he had a chance to get into a stance, Logan pounced. His claws made short work of the Samurai's armor, and tore into the skin. The Samurai pulled away, and looked down at the wound. Luckily, Logan hadn't cut too deep. 

"You're a mutant, I see," said the Samurai. Logan made no reply, simply kept in his stance. "Then, in an instance such as this, the best course seems to be to fight fire..."

The Samurai pulled his sword back, and Logan watched as the blade began to glow brightly. Although his face remained expressionless, in truth, Logan was extremely surprised by this turn of events. He hadn't counted on the fact that Shingen's best assassin may be, in fact, a mutant as well.

"With fire!" as the Samurai spoke, he lifted his blade up, which was now glowing brightly with energy, and slashed forward. Beams of energy shot forth from the blade, beams which caught Logan by surprise and connected with his body. The beams were strong, but his healing factor was already combatting the effects they had on him. He stood up with his claws bared and leapt for the Samurai once more. This time, his claws connected with the blade—and sliced through it. The sword was ruined, and Logan went for another attack, driving his foot into the wound he had inflicted on the Samurai earlier. Harada's nerves exploded with pain at this, and Logan followed it up by leaping over Harada's shoulders and slamming his claws into the warrior's back. He pulled his claws out and kicked the freshly-made wound, causing the Samurai even more pain. The Samurai spun to face Logan, just in time to see Logan's claws coming right for his throat. The center claw suddenly retracted and the two outer claws barely grazed his neck as they pinned him to the wall. Harada watched carefully, and he could see a wound beginning to form between Logan's third and forth knuckles, and the glint of adamantium as the center claw slowly began to poke out.

"I think that will be quite enough," said Shingen. "Release him."

Logan retracted his claws and kneed Harada in the groin. The Samurai keeled over in pain and fell to the ground. Logan approached Shingen and bowed before him. Shingen stood, his arms folded and a stern expression on his face.

"Very impressive, my friend," he said. "I think you've more than proven your worth to me. Congratulations Logan, you're hired."

* * *

Light exploded and suddenly sucked inward, forming three silhouettes. The majority of the light was absorbed into the jet-black skin of Kurt Darkholme, with Kitty Pryde and Scott Summers linked to him by hands. He released their hands the instant the light vanished, and Scott instantly recognized the scent of cigar smoke. At first, he assumed it belonged to Logan, but then he saw the head of Project: X-MEN sitting in a chair before him, with a cigar perched between his lips. He was a light-skinned African American with short, black hair in a buzz-cut, a cleanly-shaved face, and an eyepatch over his left eye. His name was Colonel Nick Fury, the Director of SHIELD. Standing around him, in full uniform, were Scott's teammates in the X-Men. Kurt walked over and stood by his sister, Rogue's, side. 

"Okay Cyclops," he said. "Xavier's comatose, Storm's missing, Wolverine's off on assignment, half my troops are scouring the world for Al-Quaeda cells, and if that wasn't enough, now I've got some hacker calling himself Arcade screwing around with the already fucked up stock market. As you can no doubt tell, I'm not very pleased."

Scott sighed before speaking.

"Colonel Fury, meet Kitty Pryde," he said. "She can explain Arcade."

Fury looked at Kitty with his good eye, but no expression came over his face. He took another drag on the cigar before removing it from his mouth and blowing smoke out his nose. He held the cigar between two fingers before finally speaking.

"You've got ten minutes, girl," said Fury. "Make 'em good."

"Okay..." said Kitty. "You see... this Arcade guy... the thing is, he's a hacker. And he's really good. And now, he's messing around with the stock market because... I dunno, because he wants money, I guess. Or maybe he's just doing it for kicks. But in order to do something like that, it means he would have to create a bunch of different viruses to cause such a wide collapse. And I know who he is. Well... sort of, I know what he looks like, and I used to talk to him online."

"Do you know his real name?" asked Fury.

"Well... no..." replied Kitty.

"Do you know where he lives?"

"Not exactly..."

"So, what you're telling me is that you know what this guy looks like, and you're his online buddy?"

"Basically."

"Tell me this, then," said Fury. "Without any positive ID, how the hell is that supposed to help us?"

"Well..."

"You've just wasted my time, Pryde," said Fury. "Time that could've been better spent on divising a way to stop this whack-job. Get her out of my sight, Nightcrawler."

Kurt began to step towards Kitty before she spoke up once more, "I'm not finished!"

"I beg your pardon?" asked Fury.

"I said I'm not finished," replied Kitty. Fury stood from his chair and stepped forward, taking another drag on his cigar and looking right down at her. Her once stern expression began to quickly soften.

"Wow... didn't realize how big you were..."

"If you're not finished, then you better damn-well finish," said Fury. "And you better make it damn quick."

"I know how to stop him."

"How's that?" asked Fury. "You think I'm gonna be able to track down a guy based on appearence alone?"

"No," said Kitty. "If you caught him, it wouldn't undo the damage that's been done. I know how to stop his viruses."

"And how do you figure that?" asked Fury.

"Because..." she replied. "Because I just do."

"How do you know how to stop his viruses?"

Kitty turned away from him and folded her arms across her chest. She looked down for a few moments, and strands of brown hair fell over her face. She slowly looked over her shoulder at Fury.

"You need to promise me that nothing'll happen to me," she said. "That no one will touch me."

"Done," said Fury.

"And when I say no one, I mean _no one_," she continued. "Not even your people."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Fury.

"Just promise me," she replied.

Fury considered this for a moment, and then thought of how much more damage Arcade may have done since this conversation began. He realized that it wasn't worth it to play any games.

"Fine, I promise," he said. "Now, how do you know about these viruses?"

"Because I created them."


	5. Conclusion

* * *

Issue #21 

"DANGEROUS GAMES"  
Conclusion 

_by Dino Pollard_

* * *

  


"Come again?" asked Fury. 

Kitty Pryde looked away from the one-eyed man, and instead fixed her eyes on Scott Summers. 

"I said I created the viruses," she replied. 

"You're responsible for this?" asked Fury.

"Well... indirectly..." replied Kitty.

"So I've got you to blame for fucking up the stock market?" asked Fury. "M, contact SHIELD's headquarters, tell them we've found the person behind the Arcade virus."

"Hey, you promised nothing would happen to me!" exclaimed Kitty, her eyes suddenly shifting back to him. Even she seemed surprised by her sudden outburst, and her gaze became fixed on the metallic floor.

"In that case, I'm breaking my promise," said Fury.

"You can't do this to me," she said.

"Just watch me. Beast, restrain our guest."

Hank McCoy looked over to the rest of his teammates, then to Kitty. All the X-Men had their eyes cast downward. They were all unsure of what to say. At least with Xavier and Wolverine to a certain extent, they knew what they could get away with. But Fury was still a virtual unknown to them, and truth be told, he was also a little bit frightening.

"Umm... I'm not too sure about that... sir..." he said.

"Are you disobeying a direct order, McCoy?" asked Fury.

"Not so much disobeying as... y'know, questioning," replied Hank. "Sir."

"Sir, I suggest you consider this decision first," said Monet. "If she created the viruses, maybe she can uncreate them."

"Plus, she's a mutant," said Scott. "Maybe she could help us out."

"There's no shortage of mutants in the world, Summers," said Fury. 

"How about we make a deal," said Kitty. Her eyes slowly drifted back to Fury's. "I tell you everything I know about these viruses, as well as help you write an anti-virus, and in exchange, you don't prosecute."

"You really think you're in the position to make a deal, kiddo?" asked Fury. 

"Yeah, I do," replied Kitty. "Because, like it or not, you need my help. So what say we start talking?"

Fury removed the cigar from his mouth and glanced down at the floor. He closed his one good eye and sighed deeply, as he ran over his options in his head. He looked up and stared Kitty directly in the eye.

"You're all dismissed," he said. "Pryde and I are gonna have a little chat, so why don't the rest of you go take a walk or something?"

"I dunno if that's such a good idea..."

"Just do it, Proudstar."

Fury stood his ground and folded his arms. Kitty looked directly into his eyes and kept her position solid, as if she were glued to the floor. The X-Men slowly began to walk towards the door. Scott was the last one to leave, and he glanced back at Kitty and Fury one final time. He almost considered arguing with Fury so he could remain in the room as they talked. But, he thought better of it. He stepped out the door and it closed behind him.

"Start talking," ordered Fury.

* * *

"Our operations began many years ago in Japan," said Shingen Yashida. "The Clan Yashida has been in existence for centuries, but we became extremely influential once the opium trade began. While our nation was more concerned with war and territory, my family was concerned with money. We have made a life of hiding in the shadows."

The use of the Japanese language felt odd to the man called Logan. Although he was fluent in it, as well as in several other languages, it still felt odd for him to be speaking in such a tongue after so many years. He was surprised he even remembered it anymore.

"Now we're in America," said Shingen. "The Promised Land. Where dreams come true. Where a poor man can become a rich man. And where a rich man can become a rich_er_ man."

"Is that why you're here?" asked Logan. "Money?"

"Obviously that was the catalyst," replied Shingen. "We also have more freedom and autonomy here in the States than we have in Japan. American law enforcement is quite sloppy. They spend half their time tripping over their own laws."

Logan covered up his distaste at Shingen's choice of words rather superbly. One of those reasons was the fact that he knew, at least to a certain extent, that Shingen was right. As an agent of SHIELD, it was a difficult thing for him to admit. 

"Do you have an assignment for me, yet?" asked Logan.

"Direct and to the point," replied Shingen. "I like that in an assassin. And to answer your question, yes, I do have an assignment."

"Which is?"

"I must warn you in advance, it is quite difficult."

"Difficult is no problem for me."

Shingen smiled at this comment, something which Logan took careful notice of. He was beginning to gain the crimelord's trust, and that was something which could only spell good things for him and his mission.

"As I said, this is no easy task," said Shingen. "I have many enemies, some of whom are even within the Clan Yashida. There is one whom continues to pose a threat to me, even now."

"Who?"

"My nephew," replied Shingen.

* * *

The paper of the cigarette turned to ash as the cinders slowly burned away at it. Remy LeBeau discarded the ash in a nearby tray before bringing it back to his lips. The paper recinded at a faster rate as he drew the smoke, tar, and nicotine into his mouth. 

Simply by looking into this man's eyes, you could tell that he was worried. Worried for the fate of his protegé, a young woman named Ororo Munroe. A woman whom he had come to share something more than friendship with in the time he had known her. 

"Y' nervous, Remy?"

"Don't you got something better to do than watch me, Gris?" asked Remy. 

Gris Gris leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. He grinned, and his yellow teeth were a sharp contrast to his black skin. Remy looked down at the cigarette he held between his fingers, and for a moment, he considered charging the cigarette and using it to remove the smile from Gris Gris's face.

"Nope," said Gris Gris.

Okay, maybe Remy considered it for longer than a moment.

* * *

"This is totally fucked," said John. "Who the hell does that guy think he is?"

"I don't know," said Monet. "Our commanding officer, perhaps?"

"Don't you have some of daddy's credit cards to max out?" asked John.

"Enough..." muttered Hank.

"Stay outta this, fatboy," said John.

"I weigh less than you," offered Hank in retort.

"Yeah, but where I got tone you got flab."

"John, please, you're not helping..." said Ali.

"I'm not helping by just sitting around doing nothing, either!" exclaimed John. "C'mon, look at this bullshit! We've got this hacker-dude on the loose, the Prof's comatose, O's still missing, and Wolverine's off on a mission. And to top it all off, big man Fury won't tell us a goddamn thing! Scottie, you agree with me, right?"

Scott Summers looked up from his seat with a questioning glance. He opened his mouth to speak, and at first, no words came forth. It took him a moment to consider what he would say, but finally, he found the proper way to phrase his thoughts.

"Well... sort of," he said. "I know you're pissed. Hell, so am I. Maggie's still at ESU with that psycho running around."

"So what are we waiting for, man?" asked John. "Let's go help her."

"We... we can't," replied Scott. "The last time I rushed into things on my own, it almost got me and Alex killed. We gotta trust Fury on this, man."

"I can't believe this shit," said John. "There's gotta be someone here who agrees with me!"

John's eyes looked over his teammates. Hank McCoy, Scott Summers, and Alison Blaire all averted their eyes. Monet St. Croix simply met his eyes and shook her head. A voice came up from behind him.

"I do."

John turned to see the form of Kurt Darkholme, perched atop a chair in a crouched position. The former young terrorist who called himself Nightcrawler stared at Thunderbird with glowing, yellow eyes. Eyes which stood out brightly from his pitch-black skin. Kurt's sister, Marie, looked at him with confusion.

"We have to put an end to this Arcade," said Kurt. "And from what we've been told so far, he sounds quite dangerous."

* * *

During this entire situation, another X-Man besides Storm has been absent from the gathering. Her name is Jean Grey, and she's currently sitting in the infirmary. Her chair sits right next to a bed where the comatose Charles Xavier lays motionless. Her eyes are closed. One might think upon seeing this that she was asleep.

Quite the opposite.

In reality, Jean Grey, the mutant called Psyche, is deep in concentration. Her telepathic powers are being pushed to their limit. Her task? To try and bring Charles Xavier back from wherever his consciousness has wandered off to.

She recalls one of her training sessions when "Charlie" showed her how to access a different plane of existence. Where all minds are connected as one. The Astral Plane, he called it.

_"Think of it as the Internet," _he had told her during their session. _"Each mind is like a computer, and the Astral Plane is the network or server that connects them all together."_

_"What do I use it for?" _she had asked.

He smiled when she asked this question.

_"Anything at all."_

Jean has never made an attempt to venture into the Astral Plane on her own. Each time, she always had Xavier by her side. She concentrates, and she can feel her mind leaving her body. She feels the entire world change around her, and when she opens her eyes, she is standing in nothingness.

There is white as far as the eye can see, and no apparent end to this vast space. There is no edge, no walls, no doors, no ceilings, no floors. This is the Astral Plane.

Jean walks (or is it flies, since there is no floor to speak of?) across the space. Her eyes dart back and forth, trying to find some area of familiarity. Some way to let her know she is going the right way.

She thinks of Charles. She closes her eyes, and the white changes into something else. She opens her eyes again and suddenly, she's in Central Park. There are two men sitting at a table with a chess set between them. One is Charles Xavier. The other is a man with short, silver hair.

_"Magneto..." _mutters Jean.

"We don't get together as often as we used to, Charles."

"Whose fault is that, Erik?" asks Charles. 

"Tell me, Charles. Do you remember the last thing I said to you?" 

"'It doesn't matter if we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave, or if we fight by their side. No matter what we do, humanity will never accept us.'" 

"And tell me, in those six years, have I been proven right?" 

"I can't answer that question, Erik. Not yet, anyway. It takes more than a few years for mutants to be accepted. Even today, minorities which have been officially accepted are still persecuted. It's a price we have to pay for acceptance." 

"Need I remind you of what my father went through in Germany? Need I remind you of the discrimination my family faced upon arriving in this country? So, you beg and grovel, and they throw you a few scraps of food - just before they spit on you. Is that what you call acceptance?" 

"That won't happen. But terrorism isn't the answer. Violence will only prove that the people who fear us are right. You're only making things worse for us, Erik." 

"You're an idiot, Charles. An idealistic fool." 

"Do you really think so, Erik?" 

_"Why are you showing me this?" _asks Jean. _"What does this have to do with anything?"_

The world melts once more, and now Jean is standing amidst a sea of protestors holding picket signs. At the forefront are two men. Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. 

_"I remember this," _says Jean. _"I saw it on the news. This was the mutant rally of '96, wasn't it?"_

"What do we want?!" demands Charles. 

"MUTANT RIGHTS!" the crowd shouts. 

"When do we want it?!" demands Erik. 

"NOW!" the crowd shouts. 

_"Charlie... what's all this have to do with anything? I know about this stuff, you told me that you and Magneto used to be friends."_

Again, the world seems to melt away. Jean finds herself now standing in a very familiar room. A room from the mansion, Xavier's study. She sees Charles sitting at his desk going over some papers. The door opens and Erik walks in. 

"What's going on, Charles?" he demands. 

"I'm not sure what you mean," replies Charles. 

"You know damn-well what I mean," says Erik. "You've been acting strange ever since you returned from your trip." 

"I'm the same man I've always been," says Charles. "But now, I have a... new perspective." 

"Don't try and tip-toe around the subject," says Erik. "I've read your files. What you're planning, Charles, it's manipulation." 

"No," says Charles. "It's evolution." 

_"What's this all about?" _asks Jean. _"You told me you and Magneto had a falling out, that you had different ideas in mind... but this doesn't seem right. In this memory, you don't sound the same. That last comment, that's something Magneto would have said."_

_"No, it's not."_

Jean turns around and sees the form of Charles Xavier standing before her. He walks closer to her with a smile on his face. 

_"Charlie...?" _she asks. _"Your legs... but how?"_

_"This is the Astral Plane, Jean," _he replies. _"Here, all things are possible."_

_"What's this all about?"_

_"Control, Jean," _replies Xavier. _"That's what it's always been about. You already know that Mystique was part of my past. Erik, Raven, and myself. But what you don't know is that ever since then, there was another who always worked from the shadows."_

_"I'm not liking the sound of this, Charles."_

_"I'm not surprised," _says Xavier. _"When I killed Raven, something set me off. I discovered the truth. He's been in here with me for years. Before I was approached by the President, he was there. There's a lot more to this than you understand. He's in here, Jean. And he's taking over."_

_"Who's here, Professor?" _asks Jean. _"Who's taking over?"_

Charles opens his mouth, but it closes right away. He tried again, but with no effort. His fingers rush to his mouth, trying to pry it open, but to no avail. The room begins to change shape again, a swirling palette of grays and blacks surrounding the two telepaths. From the ground shoot up bars of cold steel, surrounding Xavier in a prison. 

_"NO!" _exclaims Jean. 

She runs to the bars and pulls on them. She's suddenly forced back from them. In the darkness, she sees a pair of glowing eyes. 

_**"You cannot save him."**_

_"What's going on?"_

**_"He's mine, now. A prisoner of the shadows. And you do not belong."_**   


* * *

Nick Fury looks over Kitty Pryde carefully. He removes the cigar from his mouth and sits in a chair. He motions to another empty seat, and she takes a seat. 

"I've got an offer for you," he says. 

"I already told you my deal," says Kitty. "I eradicate the virus, and you don't prosecute." 

"I don't like that deal," says Fury. "So here's mine. You eradicate the virus, and to make up for creating them, you stay onboard." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Not as an active field agent," says Fury. "But we could use someone with your computer skills." 

"Seriously?" 

Fury nods. 

"Will I get paid?" 

"Not at first," replies Fury. "Consider it working off jailtime. If you want to stay onboard after your sentence has ended, then we can talk about compensation. But not a moment sooner." 

"I'm in," she says. 

"Good," says Fury. "Get cracking, Pryde." 

"Call me Shadowcat," she says. 

"Pardon?" 

"My codename," she says. "You like?" 

Fury rolls his eye. 

"Just do your job," he says. "Fucking teenagers..."   


* * *

Ohmanohmanohmanohman... I don't know what the hell I'm doing here. Let alone with a gun. This was all just supposed to be for fun. Just a gag. I didn't mean to fuck up the stock market like that. I didn't mean to try and kill a mutant. What's going on here? 

**_You did marvelous._**

Who said that? 

**_I did._**

Who's there? 

**_I'm that little voice in the back of your head, Arcade. I'm everywhere. I tell people to ignore their conscience. To just do what they want. And you listened to me. You used the virus created by young Katherine and you unleashed it on the stock market. If the virus continues like this, it would cause another depression. Possibly anarchy. Glorious anarchy._**

You're crazy... whoever you are, you're crazy... 

**_I like to think of myself as a visionary._**

What the hell is this? 

**_Truth be told, friend, you were a pawn. I just used you to bring mutants out into the open._**

But I'm not a mutant. 

**_Oh, I know that. But what you don't know is that you think you're a mutant._**

What? No I don't. 

**_Your gun, Arcade. Put it to your forehead._**

No! 

**_Do it!_**

I... I can't stop myself... what are you doing? 

**_Oh look, here comes a crowd._**

Don't... please, don't do this... 

**_Come on, Arcade. Let's have us a show._**   


* * *

"FOR MUTANTKIND!" shouts Arcade before pulling the trigger on the gun. 

Students and faculty watch as the young man takes his life. 

And in the shadows, someone smiles.   


* * *

"Remy..." 

Gambit looks up to the open door. He sees Stephen Strange standing there, leaning against the doorframe as if he were going to collapse. 

"You okay, Strange?" asks Gambit. 

"He's back..." mutters Strange. Then, his body begins to convulse with electricity. 

"No..." says Remy. 

Ororo Munroe hovers from the open doorway, the winds whipping about her, her hair supercharged with electricity. She looks at Gambit with glowing red eyes and smiles. 

**_"Hello Remy. Been awhile."_**

"LET HER GO!!" exclaims Gambit. He reaches into one of the pouches on his belt and hurls several marbles at Storm. Before they leave his fingers, he charges them with kinetic energy. Storm simply uses her winds to direct the marbles away from her body. She then stares directly at Gambit, and electricity flows from her eyes and strikes him. She hovers over to him, and uses the winds to lift his body into the air until he's parallel to her. 

"You sick bastard..." says Gambit. "I thought Strange killed you..." 

**_"Looks like he failed. What did I tell you, Remy? Never go against the family."_**

"You're no family of mine..." 

**_"Is that any way to speak to your father?"_**

"Fuck off." 

**_"The Shadow King is back. And now the fun can really begin."_**


End file.
